


Neon Lights

by touougakuen



Series: Good Things Come After 2 A.M. [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Convenience Store, AoKaga Month, College Age AoKaga, I JUST missed AoKaga month and it kills me, Idiots in Love, M/M, and being so frustratingly coy about it, but i'll still tag it, in which Aomine is whipped for Kagami but who wouldn't be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26271544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/touougakuen/pseuds/touougakuen
Summary: It should’ve been a simple task – walk in, grab a drink, and head home. But one night turned into far too many, and now Aomine was crushing hard on the red head who worked the night shift at the convenience store.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga
Series: Good Things Come After 2 A.M. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908730
Comments: 9
Kudos: 101





	Neon Lights

**Author's Note:**

> I should mention I've changed my username from bottleepisodes > touougakuen.
> 
> This is part two of my convenience store AU. I know it’s been years, but I never expected to continue this AU until the inspiration hit me one day. This part is written in Aomine’s PoV and serves as both a prequel AND a sequel to ‘Night Shift’ which was told from Kagami’s perspective.
> 
> You don’t need to read part one before starting this fic, but it might help to bridge some gaps.

Aomine could still recall the first time he saw Kagami at the convenience store. It had been another grueling night of practice and he’d stepped out of the 24-hour gym a little before two a.m. In all honesty, no one on the team expected Aomine to practice that late into the night; he was doing it out of his own resolution. Now that he was in college basketball and the possibility of going pro was becoming more and more real, he had fallen into an unprecedented discipline (to Satsuki’s shock, most of all). The ensuing routine of practice, working out, and more practice had him taking shots on the indoor court well past any reasonable hour.

On most nights after practice he liked to replenish with a sports drink. That night, however, Aomine was glaring down a vending machine that had just eaten his 500 yen with no intention of presenting a drink, or even his change, in return. And there was probably no staff around at this hour (other than the clueless night receptionist and one lonesome security guard) who could help him out.

Rather than take his chances and wasting any more money on the machine, Aomine walked out of the building, his gym bag slung over his shoulder. If memory served him correctly there was a small convenience store just down the block.

He turned a corner and sure enough, there it was. Well, it was hard to miss, with those impossibly blinding neon lights hung over the door.

The store was empty. It made sense though, there was a Lawson on the same block where most late-night patrons would probably end up at. For Aomine it was a matter of proximity though – this store was simply closer to the gym.

He strolled past the magazine stand when something caught his eye. Or rather, someone. Taking two steps back he grinned when he recognized an individual who he’d like to think of as an old friend. Horikita Mai, the busty model he all but worshipped in his high school years, graced the cover of a gravure idol magazine. Granted, she was a little older now, but she still looked great. There was no competition, really. _She’s still got it_ , Aomine mused, flipping through the pages of the book.

“If you’re going to go through the whole thing you might as well buy it.”

Aomine paused just as he had unveiled the center fold of the magazine, a bikini-clad girl lounging poolside. He looked over his shoulder to see a tall red-head, broom in hand. The look on his face was less than impressed.

“Uh, sorry?” was all Aomine could say in response. He was obviously caught off guard.

The store employee (Aomine had deduced, from the broom and the polo shirt with the convenience store logo on his chest) merely sighed and turned his attention back to sweeping the floor between aisles.

Aomine couldn’t help but feel a little shafted by what he could only surmise as poor customer service. He scoffed, “Haven’t you ever heard of sampling the goods first?”

“So, you gonna buy it or what?” The red head said, not bothering to look up this time.

 _What’s this guy’s problem?_ Then again, Aomine supposed anyone working the graveyard shift at a dingy convenience store would be that impassive. “Give me a sec, man.” He said, magazine tucked under his arm as he moved to the refrigerators on the other side of the store.

Seconds later he had placed a cherry-flavoured sports drink (his favourite) and the gravure idol magazine onto the counter, waiting to pay. He didn’t really want the magazine to be honest, but since he had already made a spectacle over it, he wasn’t going to back down now.

The employee from before got behind the counter to ring up the purchase. _Tch._ Aomine scowled, thinking about how he had got under his skin, if only for a moment. But now that he was looking at the boy in front of him properly, watching him scan and bag the items in a sluggish manner, he was suddenly that much more aware of him.

He really was quite tall – maybe even Aomine’s height? From his broad shoulders he looked like he might even have an athletic build. Definitely someone who hit the gym a few times. His brows were thick, and he had red eyes that still looked fiery despite his listless demeanor. There was a kind of rugged handsomeness in his features, too.

_Fuck._

The corner of Aomine’s lip twitched as he willed himself to look away.

_Fuck, fuck._

He took the plastic bag from the boy and stepped out of the store, stopping at the crosswalk to wait for the light. He headed for the station and got all the way home, movements lethargic as he washed up and changed his clothes.

And it was finally at four a.m. that night when Aomine slumped into bed that he thought about him a second time.

The red head with bad manners who worked at that tacky convenience store.

He was totally Aomine’s type.

* * *

Suddenly Aomine was reasoning with himself that the sports drink brand at his gym was just no good. Subpar, at best. If he was going to get those much-needed electrolytes in his system after an intense workout, he was going to get the good stuff.

And he happened to know a place that carried it.

He glanced at his watch as he stepped into the convenience store for the third time that week. A little past two a.m. That would mean…

“Hey,” The red head behind the counter addressed him, as curt as ever.

Aomine didn’t know why his stomach did a little flip when he saw him this time. It was clear by now that he worked the night shift here. And every night, it seemed. It wasn’t like it was an unexpected encounter.

“Gonna grab a drink and head home,” Aomine stated as if he had to explain why he was there.

“No magazine tonight?” The other boy said, and it almost sounded like a playful remark.

“Well, shit. If you’re going to insist,” Aomine grinned, heading over to the magazine stand. He picked out a special summer bikini edition and thumbed through the pages. The other boy didn’t say anything this time. It had been a few weeks since their first encounter and although their interactions were still limited to short greetings or a mere nod of one’s head, at least they were a lot more pleasant than the start.

 _Maybe he’s just grateful to have some company_ , Aomine speculated. He had noticed over the course of his visits just how desolate the shop was at this time of night. Save for one or two other customers, Aomine was usually the only one there.

After grabbing an energy drink (his workout had been a little excessive today, and he was feeling particularly drained) he approached the counter where the red headed boy was sitting, earphones in.

He watched him set his iPod aside and stand up to scan the beverage. Aomine’s eyes did that thing again, where they glossed over his face quickly, just enough to take it in and not be too obvious. “Hey, so,” he began before he could really stop himself. “I never got your name.”

The boy seemed confounded for a second – his expression read, _why would you even want to know? –_ before he answered in his usual disinterested manner, “Oh. It’s Kagami. Kagami Taiga.”

“Thanks, Kagami,” Aomine was smirking as he finished paying and stepped towards the exit with his drink in hand, “Oh,” he called back just before he left, “I’m Aomine Daiki.”

* * *

“So, you like, play professionally?”

“No, not yet,” The blue haired boy answered absent-mindedly as his eyes scanned the snack aisle for what was probably the fifth time. “I’m _going_ to go pro. I don’t know, that’s what Satsuki said. She said some scouts have been asking about me,” he picked up a bag of chips, surveying it before putting it down with a sigh, “Dammit, I can’t find it. You know what I’m talking about, right? The crayfish ones with the big, red label. I used to love them when I was a kid.”

“I actually wouldn’t know,” Kagami shrugged from behind the counter. “I didn’t grow up here.”

“Whoa, really? Where are you from then?”

“Well, I was born here, but I moved to the States when I was young,” he explained. “Back to the basketball thing. You’re on a college team now?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Aomine briefly looked up from the chip bags, distracted in his search. “I used to play in high school, too. Even won some tournaments on the national level.”

“Whoa,” was all Kagami said. Somehow the look on his face had stiffened and his eyes looked distant. Like he was recalling a memory.

Aomine decided not to pry. Mostly because it looked like Kagami didn’t want to talk about it. Instead he whipped out his phone and googled the brand of chips he had mentioned before.

“Nope,” Kagami said bluntly. “Never had ‘em.”

“Seriously? Aw man, you’re missing out.” He was trying to pull up another photo when a text message appeared on his screen. It was Satsuki, asking him if he was home yet.

“Is that your girlfriend?” Kagami asked, not even bothering to pretend he hadn’t read the text.

“What? Oh, no, she’s a friend and kind of like my manager now.” Aomine explained, returning his phone to his pocket. “I’m not seeing anyone right now,” he made sure to add that one bit. “What about you? Your girl must be pretty annoyed, you working the night shift and all.”

“Me? No, I don’t have a girlfriend,” Kagami responded. “I’m not seeing anyone either.”

“Huh. Is that so.”

Aomine was grinning, and he didn’t particularly mind if Kagami noticed.

* * *

Just when did the night shift start anyway?

Aomine found himself wondering this as he headed to the gym for an early workout. It was almost eight in the evening. He was passing by the convenience store and couldn’t help but peek inside, hoping to see a certain red head at the counter.

No such luck. Instead, there was a black-haired boy by the register, with bangs long enough to cover one side of his face. He barely looked up at Aomine as he mumbled a greeting to welcome him.

Now that he was inside, he had to at least pretend to look around. He was skimming through the candy aisle when the door chimes sounded behind him and a familiar voice spoke up.

“Aomine?”

He whipped around and sure enough, Kagami was standing there. Dressed in a hoodie and gym shorts, a thin sheet of sweat glistened off his forehead. There was also a duffle bag draped over his shoulder and a basketball tucked under the same arm. If it wasn’t for the orange ball calling his attention, Aomine would’ve taken in the sight of a sweaty Kagami in casual clothes for a second longer, because boy, did he look good.

“You’re here early,” he remarked, turning to greet the other employee before dropping his belongings behind the counter.

Aomine didn’t react to the comment, instead he gestured his head to the basketball, “You play, too?”

“Yeah, I’ve been getting back into it,” Kagami replied. “I used to be on a team, too.”

“Hey, cool, we should shoot hoops sometime then,” Aomine offered. He had a suspicion based on their previous conversations and his hunch was right. He added, “You look like you wouldn’t be half bad, so I won’t go easy on you.”

“I’m a little better than _not half bad,_ ” Kagami grinned back at him. “You sure you want to? I don’t want to embarrass someone who’s about to go pro.”

“Ohhh, confident, are we?”

“Confident that I can beat you, yeah.”

 _Damn, so he plays ball, too?_ Aomine found himself thinking back to their conversation as he entered the gym moments later. His stomach was doing those funny flips again. Maybe he was getting a little too infatuated. Or maybe Kagami was the single coolest guy he’d ever met.

* * *

Kagami Taiga really was pretty cool. Aomine learned from his subsequent visits that they had a few things in common, like aside from being complete basketball nerds, they were also loyal customers to a certain fast food chain that made the best cheeseburgers. He also learned that Kagami was good at cooking (well that’s what his friends told him), and he could surf, too (a hobby he picked up in the States). Aomine thought that if he wasn’t already hopelessly crushing on him, Kagami would probably make a great friend.

The other boy also told him about how he wasn’t going to college, how he’d taken time off after high school, but now he wasn’t sure what he was going to do about his future, except that he didn’t want to be stuck with this lame job any longer.

Aomine felt a little bad, and it was an awful thing to think, but he was kind of grateful Kagami had this lame job in the first place.

* * *

“What’s going on with you today?”

Aomine snapped out of his thoughts just as Satsuki hovered over him with her arms crossed. How long had she been there? He hadn’t noticed. He was sitting on the floor of his college’s basketball court, long after practice had wrapped up.

He was in his head again, thinking about the other night at the convenience store. In some spontaneous attempt to get closer to Kagami he had offered to stay up with him and keep him company during the night shift. Of course, he ended up knocking out. But Kagami had been cool about it, and they even ended up at his place after. Nothing happened (it had been an uphill battle for Aomine though, trying to keep his urges at bay. Especially when Kagami looked the way he did in just a t-shirt and shorts, and tousled red hair falling over his eyes), and in the end, they just took a nap together. It may have been the last thing Aomine expected to do with Kagami, but it was nice.

Except now he kept thinking about all the other things he wanted to do with Kagami. And why hadn’t the other boy initiated anything either? Like who just allows someone to come over and _sleep in their bed_ , and not have any ulterior motives?

It didn’t feel like a friendly sleepover to him. It wasn’t like they were that close anyways. I mean, they were acquaintances. Who happened to see each other almost every night. But that’s not where Aomine wanted to be.

Because the truth was, all he could think about was kissing Kagami.

And it’d been months now that he’d had this stupid crush. It was starting to get frustrating. He was sure Kagami had clued into his feelings by now. And sometimes, it seemed like Kagami felt the same way, too. No, he was sure he did. What was that he said again?

_“You know, working the night shift actually isn’t the worst thing in the world. It gets a little better after two a.m.”_

Yeah, even an idiot like Aomine could see the flags behind that one.

The blue haired boy finally got off the floor, taking his gym bag with him as he dragged his feet towards the exit.

“Dai-chan, don’t ignore me!” Satsuki whined, throwing her fists into the air. “Where are you going?!”

“Home,” was all he could muster.

* * *

Well, that turned out to be a lie. Because this definitely wasn’t Aomine’s house.

He stood in front of the familiar neon sign and sighed. It was like his body had moved on autopilot and he soon found his way back to the convenience store. A glutton for punishment, that’s what he was.

“Hey,” said Kagami when Aomine stepped in, in the same, unchanging way. Like they hadn’t just shared a bed together a couple days ago. He looked over at the clock mounted on the wall and then back at Aomine, “Didn’t expect to see you ‘til later.”

“Don’t feel like working out today,” Aomine bemoaned, strolling over to Kagami’s side behind the counter. “Oi, Kagami, give me your chair. My feet are killing me.”

Kagami’s brows drew together in confusion, “Uh, you’re not supposed to be here.”

“You let me the other night.”

“That was when it was two a.m., it’s still only nine. Customers could still come in at this hour. My boss might even – ”

“Just let me sit.”

Kagami muttered something under his breath that Aomine didn’t quite catch. And although he sounded annoyed, he moved over anyways, freeing up the only seat. The blue haired boy promptly plopped down on it, stretching his long legs in front of him and dropping his bag to the floor. He threw his head back and sighed once more.

Aomine could feel Kagami’s eyes on him. “What’s going on with you?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that today?” He muttered.

The red head didn’t say another word. Aomine didn’t quite know what to say either. Honestly, he was still trying to make sense of it all. The person he was upset with was next to him, so why did he come here in the first place? Why was he so adamant about seeing him? Since when did something as mundane as going to the convenience store become the best part of his day; a comfort he looked forward to?

When Aomine pulled his head up and peered over at Kagami, he saw the boy hunching over the counter. It was only then that he noticed the laptop in front of him. Kagami was busy typing something up.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Huh? Oh, this?” Kagami was too focused on the screen to turn his attention away, “I’m applying for college.”

Aomine pursed his lips, “You’re going back to school?”

“Yeah, I think it’s long overdue,” He sounded eager but a little embarrassed when he spoke. “Actually, I probably have you to thank for it. I hadn’t thought about school much until you told me about your college team. I don’t know, man, I think I’ve just been missing out on a lot of things.”

Aomine thought that he’d have to be some kind of monster to stay mad at Kagami after hearing all that. “Hey, good for you. I’m glad to hear it,” his voice had softened.

The other boy clicked on his mousepad a couple times before finally looking over his shoulder at Aomine, who met his gaze straight on. It had probably only lasted a few seconds but dear god, why had it felt like lifetimes before someone finally spoke up?

“Hey, Aomine,” Kagami said in a low voice. “The other day, at my place… I never expected we’d just fall asleep like that. We slept for hours, I think.”

“Yeah, I knocked out as soon as I hit the bed,” Aomine agreed. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He had managed to catch a glimpse of Kagami just as the red head had fallen asleep next to him. It was strange, but pleasant at the same time. He’d only ever seen Kagami awake at the ungodliest of hours, that he was beginning to wonder if he ever slept.

“Sorry about sharing the bed again, I only have one room after all.”

“No, it’s cool,” Aomine shrugged. “It’s not like I would’ve booted you to the couch or something.”

“… Yeah,” Kagami said slowly, “And I kind of preferred the way things ended up.”

_When you say things like that, how am I supposed to believe this isn’t anything more than platonic?_

“So, is that something you do often?” It was nasty of him, but Aomine couldn’t stop himself from taking a jab at the store clerk. It _had_ been bothering him earlier, too. “Just invite strangers to your house to take naps with them?”

Kagami’s jaw locked and Aomine could tell he was trying his best not to sound annoyed, “And do you usually intrude into strangers’ homes to sleep in their beds?”

He merely chuckled in response and the other boy did the same.

“Wait,” Kagami was turned to face Aomine now, his back leaning against the counter. “You didn’t think it was weird, did you?”

He paused before answering honestly, “No.”

“Oh. Okay. Neither did I,” Kagami uttered, and then silence overtook them. But it wasn’t awkward. It was just that they were both thinking. Maybe too many thoughts, and all at once.

Aomine was the one to break the lull this time, “So why me?”

“Hm?”

“If you don’t just do that with anyone, then why did you let me come over that day?”

Kagami scratched the back of his neck. “I guess because it made sense at the time. Having you there. It didn’t seem odd or out of place, or like you were overstepping any boundaries,” His eyes dropped to the space between them as he continued, “And I think I kind of wanted…”

Aomine’s stare fell on Kagami’s face but he couldn’t quite read his expression, “Wanted what?”

Kagami was returning his stare now, wordlessly. Once again, they were looking at one another without anything to say. Eyes too stubborn to break contact. Just _looking_.

Until finally.

“I just wanted… you.”

 _For fuck's sake_ , Aomine thought. It was plain as day. No, it was even clearer than that. It was as obnoxiously obvious as that bright neon sign on the storefront. If he had been waiting for a sign, then this was it. Kagami had basically just spelled it out for him now. _Make your move_.

“Dammit,” Aomine all but jumped to his feet. He looked at Kagami, then around the store, impatient, “Isn’t there like a backroom or something? You know, like, somewhere private?”

Kagami looked bewildered by his reaction at first, but he seemed to quickly clue in to where this was going. He cleared his throat and gestured his head to the door on Aomine’s right, “Stockroom.”

And it only took seconds before Aomine and Kagami were in the shadows of that very room, the red head’s back pressed to the closed door as Aomine’s lips crashed into his. He was being hasty, Aomine knew this as his hands held Kagami’s face and his mouth moved with fervor, deepening the kiss. But he had wanted this so badly. It felt like he’d waited forever.

And it was worth it. Every brush of his lips against Kagami’s, the way his mouth took in Aomine’s tongue without a note of hesitance, it was all better than he had ever imagined.

And Kagami tasted so, so good, too.

His tongue was colliding with the other boy’s in soft but hungry flicks, and his hands had been traveling underneath the fabric of Kagami’s polo shirt when Aomine heard what sounded like distant bells, echoing beyond the door.

Kagami heard it too, and the two of them froze after breaking away from the kiss.

It took a moment before Aomine recognized the sound. It was the door chimes that rang whenever a customer walked in.

He groaned, slumping his head against Kagami’s shoulder. He thought that if there really was a hell, then those door chimes were probably the background music stuck in an endless loop to an eternal damnation.

Kagami swallowed, “Maybe they’ll leave if we – ”

“Hello?” The antsy voice from the front of the store called out.

“Fuck,” Aomine cursed, summoning every drop of his willpower to pull himself away from the other boy. He rustled his own hair in frustration, “You’re not off until six, right?”

“Yeah,” Kagami replied, straightening his shirt. Although he looked just as disappointed, there was a shy smile that tugged at his lips when he looked at Aomine. “What are you going to do?”

Aomine breathed a hefty sigh, trying to calm himself down. He didn’t know how he’d be able to kill that many hours when all he wanted to do was put his hands on Kagami again. He could go to the gym, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus. Maybe he’d just head back home. Either way, it didn’t matter, as long as he ended up back here.

“I’ll come back when your shift is over then,” He finally said, something of a promise. He was returning Kagami’s smile now. “I’ll be waiting out front.”

* * *

Aomine looked at the neon sign above the door of the convenience store. In the daytime it looked so dull and monotonous. It was hard to believe that beyond such a dreary entrance stood a guy like Kagami Taiga, a person that excited Aomine down to his very core. And that he had been making out with that very person, in that crowded stockroom of this shabby store, not long ago.

At exactly six a.m. Kagami stepped out of the shop, a cheeky grin on his face as he met eyes with the blue haired boy. He had changed out of his work attire and Aomine made a mental note how good he looked in plain jeans, too.

“This is like déjà vu,” Kagami commented. Aomine knew he was referring to the last time they left the night shift together. Only this time, he had a feeling the events to follow would play out differently.

A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth again as he walked alongside the other boy, “I guess that means we’re going to your place again.”

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being way longer than I planned. I think I was over-indulging myself since I love this AU so much and I wanted to give our favourite idiots a proper (and happy!) ending. I hope you enjoyed it! It’s been such a long time since I wrote KnB fic, but this was so much fun for me.
> 
> I’ve added this part as well as ‘Night Shift’ to a series called ‘Good Things Come After 2 A.M.’. If you haven’t read ‘Night Shift’ yet and would like to see Kagami’s side of events, please check it out.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading.


End file.
